Wear Mechanisms in Centrifugal Slurry Pumps

Abstract

Starting from the typical wear mechanisms encountered in centrifugal slurry pumps, the paper outlines a computational approach for wear distribution in the pump channels. The two-phase flow parameters (solid concentration, velocity, particulate stresses) at the wetted walls are related to the wear distribution as a function of particle dynamics, material characteristics and the presence of other surface processes such as corrosion and scaling. The probabilistic flow analysis enhances the ability to model the wear process based on the microstructural aspects of the flow and materials. The approach is applicable to two- and three-dimensional problems, for slurries with single and multiple particle species. It can be used to estimate the wear rate distribution, cumulative wear and equipment wear life.